Merrillite-Apatite Aggregate
Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Meteoriten-Deutschlands&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="User:Meteoriten-Deutschlands (page does not exist)">Meteoriten-Deutschlands</a> (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mineral NameMerrillite-Apatite Aggregate
Chemical FormulaMerrillite: Ca9NaMg(PO4)7; Apatite: Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)
Mohs Hardness5
Streak Colorwhite
Cleavageindistinct
Fractureconchoidal to uneven
Specific Gravity3.1
Colorspale yellow, pale green, white
Transparencytransparent to translucent
Type LocalityRenchen Meteorite, Germany
Mineral GroupPhosphates
Usesscientific interest, meteorite studies
Associated Mineralstroilite, olivine, pyroxene, kamacite, taenite
Rarityrare
Description
This image shows a millimeter-sized aggregate of pale yellow-green, subhedral merrillite and apatite grains, embedded within the matrix of the Renchen meteorite, alongside silvery-metallic troilite.
Geological Context
These phosphate minerals formed under highly reducing conditions in the early solar system, characteristic of chondritic meteorites, representing extraterrestrial mineralogy.
